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Prince William and Kate Middleton don’t follow British royal family tradition when it comes to parenting. They’re raising Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, in a decidedly more modern way. How? By being making the “unusual”—at least by royal standards—to be “hands-on parents.”

William and Kate made the ‘unusual and enlightened decision’ to be ‘hands-on parents’ 

According to Jennie Bond, a commentator and former BBC royal correspondent, the Prince and Princess of Wales have approached parenting differently from previous generations of British royals. 

“They are hands-on parents in a way neither Charles and Diana, nor the late queen and Prince Philip ever were,” Bond told OK (via Mirror). “From the start, they have cared for their children themselves as much as possible with minimal outside help.”

“This is an unusual and enlightened decision by the couple,” she continued. “You can’t undo the destiny you were born into. But you can make life more of a family affair than an upbringing in palaces and castles would allow.”

They use ‘modern parenting techniques’ with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis

William and Kate have taken a “modern” approach to raising George, Charlotte, and Louis. How? By using “modern parenting techniques of allowing children to express themselves, to voice their worries and emotions. And to understand when their friends are feeling angry or frustrated or unhappy.” 

They’ve also taught the three young royals “to be empathetic” to others. “They have shown them and talked to them about people who are less privileged,” Bond said. “And encouraged them to learn how helping others makes them feel better too.”

They also have Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who help to keep the children grounded. Finally, there’s the element of privacy that allows George, Charlotte, and Louis to have as normal a childhood as possible. 

“They have strictly controlled the children’s exposure to the pressures of public life, which has bought them a good measure of privacy,” Bond said of William and Kate. “They run a fun household, full of noise and bustle, music and dancing where it sounds as if the kids often rule the roost, as in most happy families.”

William and Kate didn’t have a nanny when they became parents

Another part of William and Kate’s modern parenting approach is that they didn’t hire a nanny when they first welcomed George. According to Katie Nicholl, a royal expert and author, being that “hands-on” surprised the late Queen Elizabeth II. 

“The queen found it fascinating that they never hired a nanny in the first instance because Kate and William wanted to be hands-on parents,” Nicholl said on ITV’s Lorraine. “And they are hands-on parents.”

“I think it’s a generational thing, you know,” she explained. “The queen couldn’t understand that they didn’t have a night nurse and a nanny in the first instance.” 

Finding the first few months after George’s birth “very hard,” Kate shared how challenging it’d been with the queen. Finally, in September 2013, the couple hired nanny Maria Borrallo. A graduate of the prestigious nanny school, Norland College, Borrallo continues to work for the Wales family. 

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